Above: Gail Pierce’s
Black Spanish Grapes that
she started in her propa-
gation class. See page 7
for her story.
Inside this edition:
September 2014 Calendar 2
President’s Corner /Confernce Info 3
Foraging for Our Meal 4
Chinch Bugs 6
August Meeting 7
Grapes: Propagation to Table 7
Botanical Garden in Ireland 8
Q & A 9
Announcements 10
What’s Happening in Your Yard 12
The Blooming Bell September 2014
Bell County
Master Gardener
Association
2
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1
Labor
Day
2
3
Hamburger
Wednesday 11 am
4
5 Work Day
7 am
Grounds
Committee
Meeting 9 am
6
7
BWI
Order
Dead-
line
8
9
10 Work Day 7 am
General Meeting
w/Social Time at
10:00 am
Speaker Jan
George discussing
Plant Sale at 10:30
am
11
12 13
14
15
Deadline
for Volun-
teer Reg-
istration
Discount-
Conf.
16
17 Work Day 7 am
Board Meeting -
9 am followed by
Conference Ven-
dor/Sponsor meet-
ing
18
19
20
21
22 23
24
25 ‘14
TxMG
Conf.
26
27
28
29 30
Plant
Sale
September 2014
Upcoming Dates: Fall Plant Sale, October 4, 7 am - 1 pm Deadline for award nominations, Oct. 31
Remember to record volunteer/education hours. Banner Photo of Fig tree by Melinda Arriola
3
The President’s Corner
During this hot part of summer there is not much that
can be done in the garden except get it ready for the
fall planting. And speaking of getting gardens ready,
the grounds committee and volunteers are working
hard on the AgriLife gardens and grounds getting
them ready and presentable for the plant sale. And
Jan George and Carla Harmon have been working
hard on getting the plant sale all lined up.
At our next general membership meeting Carla will
outline the procedures that we are going to follow for
this falls plant sale on Oct. 4th. Everyone who plans
on working at that sale will want to be at the meeting
so we are all on the same page. We will not have a
plant sale in the spring due to our hosting the State
Conference but we will be promoting the vender plant
sales at that conference in place of our spring sale.
Please encourage all of our guests to visit
the vendor
area at the conference. They will find some
great plant buys there.
With the conference in mind, the Midland
Odessa conference is the 25th to 27th of Sep-
tember and several of our members plan to
attend. We have moved the monthly board
of directors meeting to the 17th of September
to avoid a conflict. If you have not attended a
board meeting lately, please plan on doing
so. You can learn a lot about what is happening in the
organization that way.
Our conference plans are well under way. Thanks to
all the committee members that are working so hard
to make this event happen. If you have not volun-
teered for a committee yet, there is still time to do that
so you can take advantage of the reduced early regis-
tration fee.
Gary
Conference Shirts
- Jan George, Registration Committee
Those of you who pre-register by the 10th of September
and order a Conference shirt will be able to get them
around the 17th of September so that you can promote
the Conference at Odessa and at our plant sale, which
will be October 4th. Again, the ladies shirts are some-
what fitted and are running small so you may want to or-
der a size larger or a mans size. The small is about a 2-
4, med 6-8, large 10-12, and XL 14-16. Let's all get our
shirts now so we can promote the Texas Master Gar-
dener State Conference!
Conference Registration Information
- Terry Bradburn
The 2015 Texas Master Gardener State Conference planning is
in full force. During the month of September, Bell County Master
Gardener Conference Volunteers are being afforded the oppor-
tunity to pre-register. The Volunteer Pre-Registration window is
from 1 Sep to 15 Sep 2014. This registration will be via
‘Invitation Only’ to those Master Gardeners that are participating
as Conference Volunteers.
4
Foraging For
Our Meal - Crystal Fisher, Class of ‘06
Saturday, Aug 2nd, four of us met to forage our
first meal. Two BCMG’s, Mary Lou
Edmondson, and myself, along with two other
ladies, Kathy Jones and Jane Van Praag, who
plans to take the next BCMG class this upcom-
ing January.
We spent the morning foraging through the
Amaranth which made up the bulk of our Chef
Salad. Mary Lou Edmondson offered Purslane
from her yard for transplanting over here. We
also came to the conclusion that we missed the
season for harvesting the Bamboo and Nut
Sedge. The Bamboo roots were greatly re-
duced. Maybe Bamboo shoots will be on the
Spring menu.
Nut Sedge was too small to spot any significant
nuts. Since then, we've learned that nut Sedge pro-
duces antibacterial compounds that may have saved
the enamel and prevented cavities of prehistoric
men in Central Sudan 7,000 years ago according to
Dr. Mercola’s This Dirty Little Weed May Have
Cleaned Up Ancient Teeth http://
articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/
archive/2014/08/09/nutsedge-dental-health.aspx
This might be one that I'll want to pass on. However,
it's tempting when you think of trying to rid our yard
of it.
We're also considering doing this again in the
Fall with the next crop of weeds. After all,
what's better than collecting your edible har-
vest from plants that you didn't have to tend or
water. Plus, the added benefits of so many
that are loaded with potassium, iron, calcium,
vitamins A, B, C, K, proteins, starches, fibers,
and the list goes on.
Photos by Kathy Jones and Crystal Fisher
Continued on next page...
Above: Mary Lou Edmonson identifying the Bamboo
and our Spring time meal. (Note the butterfly on her
shoulder.) Below: Kathy Jones and Jane Van Praag
studying the Amaranth patch.
5
Foraging… continued
Kathy Jones sent this list of ingredients we used for our delicious Amaranth Salad:
“Our first foraging outing was absolutely awesome. We ended up with a salad (suitable for the finest dining
establishments) consisting of:
- Amaranth
- Wild Purslane
- Mexican Marigold
- Tomatoes
- Slivered Almonds
- Mint
- Garlic
- Garlic Chives
- Hard-boiled egg
- Yellow Squash
- Okra
- Swiss Chard with a choice
of salad dressings. For drinks we had Crystal’s Very Special Iced Tea and Banana Icee (2 recipes: one with
extract, one made with real bananas) and her home-made Fig Newtons for dessert.
When I contacted Mark Vorderbruggen about freezing amaranth, he said, “You can either dehydrate it and
then add the powered amaranth to foods or you can freeze it. If you freeze amaranth leaves you should follow
the blanching directions for freezing spinach to get the best results.”
With Bell County hosting the next annual Texas Master Gardener Conference, we’ll be seeing Mark
(Merriweather) Vorderbruggen from Foraging Texas as he will be a speaker at the Conference.
Now, here's a preview that you might not want to miss. If interested in joining us this Fall, possibly in October,
please get in touch with me and bring your harvesting bowl. Jane said, "I am eager for our next and subse-
quent gatherings. Our first forage proved a new way to have fun; afterward, I felt like I wanted to do this
every day! Indeed, as we keep at it, that's exactly what we'll be able to do...just step outside our respective
homes, look down with confidence, and pull or snip away!"
6
Wizzie’s Wonderful
World of Insects
Chinch Bugs
- Wizzie Brown
(Editor’s note: I’m excited to announce the addition to
the Blooming Bell of this column written by Wizzie
Brown, Travis County’s AgriLife Extension’s Ento-
mologist. I know everyone will be very happy to learn
something new about insects!)
Dead spots in the lawn? Look for chinch bugs….
Chinch bugs often appear in Texas lawns during hot,
dry conditions. Usually damage starts in sunny loca-
tions or near driveways and sidewalk areas. Damage
appears as ir-
regular dead
patches in the
lawn surrounded
by yellowing or
dying grass.
Chinch bug dam-
age can be mis-
taken for other
lawn problems
like white grubs
or fungal dis-
eases, so confir-
mation of chinch
bug activity is
needed before progressing to proper treatment.
So how do you tell if you have chinch bugs? Look for
the insects. One way is to cut both ends out of a can,
push it into the ground using a twisting motion and
then fill the can with water for about 10 minutes and
wait for any bugs to float to the top. Another way
would be to get down on your hands and knees and
part the grass to look for the insects. For both meth-
ods, samples should be taken in the damaged
(yellowed grass), not dead, grass areas.
Chinch bugs are small (about 1/5 of an inch). Adults
are black with white wings that have triangular black
marks on them. Nymphs, or immatures, are yellowish
or pinkish with a light colored band across their body.
Nymphs do not have fully developed wings.
Treatment is usually a liquid or granular formulation.
Liquid formulations are often bottles that you can at-
tach to the end of the garden hose or concentrates
that you mix into a tank sprayer. Granular formula-
tions are put out with push spreaders and need to be
watered in after treatment.
Treatment should be applied in the area where dam-
age is occurring and several feet out from the dam-
aged area; the entire yard does not have to be
treated. All label instructions should be read and fol-
lowed before and during the treatment.
For more information or help with identification, con-
tact Wizzie Brown, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
Service Program Specialist at 512.854.9600. Check
out my blog at www.urban-ipm.blogspot.com
The information given herein is for educational pur-
poses only. Reference to commercial products or
trade names is made with the understanding
that no discrimination is intended and no endorse-
ment by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service or
the Texas A&M AgriLife Research is implied.
Extension programs serve people of all ages regard-
less of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age,
disability, genetic information or veteran status.
7
August Meeting
- Randy Brown
Certified Arborist, Duncan Brooks, spoke at the Au-
gust General Meeting about Oak Wilt Disease.
Grapes: Propagation to Table
- Gail Pierce
On February 12, 2012, in my Master Gardener class, I
propagated Black Spanish Grapes and on March 12th
my "baby" started sprouting. Jump forward 2 years and
4 months and I am the proud Mama of these beautiful
grapes.
Netting was put over the grapes to prevent the birds
from getting these jewels. The birds were aggressive
and would get under the netting. The time came to
make jam. I have never made jam before. I think I used
every bowl in my kitchen. I ended up with 11 cups of
grape juice.
I am so proud with the end result. The flavor is tart/sweet. It's quite tasty. It's exciting to watch the process
and growth of what started from a raw branch. Gardening is exciting and always evolving. (See Front Cover
for photo of Gail’s Grapes.)
8
National Botanic Garden of Ireland
- Frances Idoux
Can you find a cactus in Dublin, Ireland?
The answer is yes, if you visit the National Botanic
Garden there, which I did this August. For many
years, my brother has lived in Dublin, where he has
taught mathematics a the University of Dublin. This
was my first visit.
Not only is there a rock garden with varieties of cac-
tus, but also there is a Cactus House, one of several
wrought iron glasshouses built in the 1800's and later
restored. The garden covers over 46acres, and the plant population numbers
over 15,000 cultivated varieties -- either in the glasshouses or in beautifully ar-
ranged and maintained display areas, including a vegetable and fruit tree sec-
tion. The garden's collections include 300 endangered species, six of which
are no longer found in the wild.
The garden also features a pond with waterlilies and a bridge similar to those
found in Monet's paintings. The beautiful sur-
roundings are one indication of the Irish love
for their island.
9
Q & A
This Month’s Question
- Cindy Allen
We had beautiful berries this year, both blackberries
and strawberries, but we are losing most to crit-
ters. Anyone found solutions to the birds in blackber-
ries, and to snails or pill bugs...whatever it is that
leaves a hole in every strawberry we have ripen? I
feel like I remember some advice from MG class, for
getting strawberries up off the dirt, but can't find that
for the life of me. Help!
And the Answer is:
One of the reasons strawberries are called strawber-
ries is that the cultivation is traditionally done with
straw around the plants to protect them from munch-
ing bugs. Some people use weed cloth or plastic and
punch holes in it to plant the strawberries.
This Month’s Question
- Cindy Allen
Does anyone know what laid
eggs on my gourd vine? It
has split it open and it’s dy-
ing.
It seems I have
answered my own
question.
- Cindy Allen
It’s a squash vine borer, Melittia cucurbitae.
According to the Galveston MG website, http://aggie-
horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston/Gardening-
Handbook/PDF-files/GH-030--squash-vine-borer.pdf,
these are the identifying characteristics of this pest:
• One of the most damaging and most common pests
of squash, especially in home gardens
• Eggs are laid on squash stems, normally close to
ground level
• Eggs hatch into larvae which tunnel into the squash
stem leading to the subsequent demise of the plant or
portions of a plant
• Excrement (frass) produced by larvae may extrude
from the stems
• Stems may wilt and die • Adult stage is a colorful
moth that flies during the daylight hours…resembles a
wasp
• Moths about 1" long, with a brilliant orange and
black abdomen and matching “hairy” hind legs
• Front wings are opaque and hind wings are clear
with dark veins
NON-CHEMICAL CONTROL
• Plant borer-tolerant cultivars
• Covering emerging plants with floating row covers
until female flowers are open can provide early pro-
tection on young plants
• Wrap a pair of pantyhose around the stem and the
base of the plant
10
Announcements
To All Master Gardeners The September Board of Directors meeting has been changed to 17 September at 9 AM, due to the Mid-land Conference the following week. The Vendor/Sponsor meeting will be held following the BOD meet-ing. Thanks to all.
- Gary
To the Vendor/Sponsor Committee
Please mark your calendar for September 17th. We will meet in the Extension Meeting room after the BOD meting. We will be splitting up into Vendor Committee and Sponsor Committee. All committee members need to bring their list of those they have contacted. Hopefully you have made a second con-tact.
Bring a list of all those you have been unable to con-tact or had a positive “No” as well. Committee chairs of other Committees can submit additional contact suggestions, we will get you a list of Vendors and Sponsors prior to the meeting.
- Karen Colwick
Plant Sale Info
Our annual fall plant sale will be held October 4, from 7:00 am until 1:00 pm. We will have all infor-mation and sign up sheets for workers at the Septem-ber 17th general membership meeting. We will need a great deal of help in order for the sale to be a suc-cess, so please sign up. If you can help but won't be able to make the September meeting, contact Jan George, at [email protected] and she will sign you up. If you have a project and would like us to or-der multiple plants for you, we would be happy to do so if they are available. Thanks in advance for all of your help.
Plant Sale Committee
- Jan George, Pat Smith Johnson, Vera Townsend
Award Nominations
The deadline for Green Thumb, Golden Trowel, and Intern of the Year award nominations is October
31st.
The nomination forms are on our website. There will be nomination forms available at the September 10th
monthly meeting. Your nomination will not be consid-ered if your nominee has not recorded 12 education hours and 50 service hours for the June 1, 2013 to May 31, 2014 year. If you have any questions, please contact:
- Bernie Hurta at [email protected]
September General Meeting
This month’s speakers will be Jan George and Carla
Harmon. They will be discussing the upcoming Plant
Sale with us. Remember the meeting is at 10:30 a.m.
social time is at 10 a.m. - Randy
Grounds Committee Hours
Work times in September are as follows:
September 3, Burger Wednesday, 11 a.m.
September 5, Work at 7 a.m.
September 5, 9 a.m. Grounds Committee planning meeting
September 10, Work at 7a.m.
September 17, Work at 7a.m.
September 24 - No work
- Walter Ponder
BWI Order
We will be doing a BWI order on Monday, September 8th. Please let me know by Sunday, September 7th if you want to order anything. There is a catalogue in the MG office.
- Judy Herrmann at [email protected]
11
Announcements
Just wanted to let everyone know that my last day here at the office was August 29th . If you need any emails to go out to the membership after this day, please send them to either Scarlot at: [email protected] or Janice at: [email protected]. You can also contact these two ladies if you may have any questions or concerns.
Thank you!
Rhettlee Wooley, Secretary
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
FYI
20th Annual Sorghum Festival at
Brazos de Dios in Waco, Texas
On Monday, Sept. 1, 2014, we will have our 20th an-
nual Labor Day Sorghum Festival at Brazos de Dios.
The festival will start at 10 A.M. and go until 5 P.M.,
and admission is free.
Watch the entire process of making sweet sorghum
syrup–from pressing the raw cane using a horse-
powered mill to cooking the juice into a rich, golden
brown syrup. Enjoy some samples of sorghum syrup
on freshly-baked cornbread made from stone ground
cornmeal!
For more information, go to:
http://www.sustainlife.org/events/
Interesting Websites
Check out the calendar on this link for veggie
planting calendar:
http://www.almanac.com/gardening/planting-dates/
TX/Temple
Texas Gardener's Seeds online newsletter:
Austin: Arturo Arrendondo will discuss transfarming,
turning your yard into a food producing ecosystem, at
the Austin Organic Gardeners' Club meeting Septem-
ber 8 at the Austin Area Garden Center, 2220 Barton
Springs Rd, in Zilker Botanical Gardens. Doors open
at 6:30 pm for the opportunity to meet and mingle with
local gardeners; club business begins at 7 pm, fol-
lowed by our guest speaker's presentation. For more
information, visit www.austinorganicgardeners.org.
These are some great time-lapse videos of
blooming cacti
You really need to see this - really amazing!!!
http://blog.instagram.com/post/95565374557/
echinopsisfreak
Good General Information
http://www.centraltexasgardening.info/
Landscape Design School Series
XXIV, Course 1
Several BCMG’s are attending this workshop.
Begins: Monday, September 29, 2014
Ends: Tuesday, September 30, 2014
8:30 am – 5:00 pm
For more information, go to:
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/southerngarden/
sglandex2.html
Check out BCMG FaceBook
page! Go to
https://www.facebook.com/BCMGA?ref=hl
12
What’s Happening in Your Yard
- Bernie Hurta
This is a picture of my Sweet Autumn Clematis. A friend gave me the plant last year when it was only four inches tall and this year it has gone crazy.
Below: “Here Birdie, Birdie!” Our cat “Bitsy” likes to sleep in the bird bath.
- Pam Dragoo
I just took this picture of this beautiful swallowtail butter-fly on the blooms of my bougainvillea plant.
13
What’s Happening in Your Yard
- Suzi Judd
Some of my Backyard Beauties include (clockwise) Morning Glory, Du-ranta, and Sweet Peas.
14
What’s Happening in Your Yard
- Melinda Arriola
I harvested carrots in
August, figs and
plums in July, spa-
ghetti squash from my
key hole garden in
June and apples in
May.
15
A publication of the Bell County Master Gardener Association sponsored by Texas AgriLife Extension of
Texas A & M University
1605 N. Main St. Belton, Texas 76513
(254) 933-5305
Contributing Writers and Photographers:
Gary Slanga Wizzie Brown Crystal Fisher Gail Pierce Frances Idoux Cindy Allen Bernie Hurta Randy Brown Jan George Walter Ponder Karen Colwick Pam Dragoo Rhettlee Wooley Suzi Judd Melinda Arriola Editor:
Terrie Hahn
Proofreader:
Werner Hahn
Please submit articles for the Blooming Bell as Word
Documents with photos separate as JPG files to
Terrie Hahn at:
Please do not send PDF documents.
Officers
President Gary Slanga
First Vice President Randy Brown
Second Vice President Bernie Hurta
Recording Secretary Pat Smith
Corresponding Secretary Pat Allen
Treasurer Gail Christian
Directors
Youth Programs Mary Ann Everett New Class Fran Sheppard Landscape Carla Harmon Walter Ponder KMCCG Edie Campbell Outreach Susan Terry Awards Bernie Hurta Webmaster Louann Hight State Conference Gary Slanga
AgriLife Agent Lyle Zoeller
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